Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 149

Barbarian Chief(1)

In the past, Misha had stated it clearly.

[I… like lean men]

[Yikes! You mean I have no appeal as a man to you!!]

She’d mistaken my offer of a partnership as a confession when we were stranded in the Witch’s Forest.

I was relieved by her words.

Isn’t there a saying that there can be no friendship between a man and a woman?

If she had such clear preferences, I thought we could remain colleagues for a long time without any discomfort.

However…

“Nyah, Come and sit down quickly. Skipping meals and sleeping like that will ruin your health.”

Misha’s attitude towards me gradually changed.

She would come by every morning to wake me up and share her homemade dishes with me.

She even gave me the meat side dishes.

I honestly felt like I had a girlfriend instead of a teammate.

At first, I thought she was trying to repay me for saving her life, but…….

“…Yeah. I like you. As a man.”

So, that was indeed the case.

“Did you know that?”

“I wasn’t sure.”

To be fair, that’s exactly why I kept it to myself. I didn’t confront the issue because I thought it could all be my imagination.

Because if I knew, I’d only have one choice.

“That’s how it was…”

Looking at Misha facing me while trembling, I suddenly realized how cowardly I had been.

If I had faced this issue sooner, perhaps I could have found a different solution.

I could have pushed her away gently, right from the start.

Before Misha’s feelings grew to the point that even Dwalki told me not to ignore them.

Yes, that must have been the case.

“So, what do you think, Nyah?”

Now there were two choices.

To lean in and ignite the flame.

Or to extinguish it before it grew any larger.

The answer was already decided.

“I am…”

An entity that is both an evil spirit and a player.

I am not truly Bjorn Jandel, and I have not yet given up on the hope of returning home.

But since I couldn’t say that.

And since Dwalkie said it was cowardly to expect sincerity without showing my true self.

I spoke honestly.

“I consider you a precious comrade.”

Misha’s response came after a slight pause.

“So… I’m not good enough, Nyah?”

“It would be the same with anyone else. I don’t have that luxury. We could die at any moment. Besides, it’s not even a year since I completed my coming-of-age ceremony.

Survival must be the top priority at all times.

And Misha and I must continue to explore together.

When emotions between a man and a woman get involved, it becomes difficult to make rational decisions.

It would bring danger to both of us.

So…

“I would like you to see me only as a comrade too.”

Even now, facing reality and drawing a line.

But no matter how much I tried to package it as looking out for each other, was the essence of it selfishness?

Misha flatly rejected my proposal.

“I refuse, Nyah!”

“…What?”

“Why should I do that? I didn’t even plan to confess my feelings today, you evil barbarian! You trickster! you asked me like I was going to accept, Nyah!”

Misha yelled in annoyance and punched me in the chest.

Thump!

A chill that seemed to reach my heart – cold damage.

Misha continued shouting, her anger not subsiding.

“Who asked to be accepted first? I know. That you’re not in a position to do so! But to say not to like you at all, that’s just too cruel, Nyah!”

Puck! Puck! Puck! Puck! Puck!

[Rapidly stacking cold damage]

As I was about to speak, Misha weakly dropped her hand from my chest.

“I don’t… ask for much. I thought being as we are now was already more than enough. So, can’t you not say that? Huh? Why do you want to take even that away from me, Nyah…”

A tremor was transmitted from where Misha and I were connected.

Her head was bowed, hiding her face, but guessing her expression wasn’t difficult.

I clenched my mouth shut, feeling I had no right to offer any consolation or action. Time passed in silence, and eventually, the trembling stopped.

“…”

Misha stepped back and, with reddened eyes, glared at me.

And then…

“Don’t expect any meals from me tomorrow, Nyah.”

With that venomous remark, she left.

I stood there like a stone statue, watching her back.

Creak.

As I entered my lodging, the owner at the counter clicked his tongue at me.

“Today, you were the one at fault.”

I knew it without him having to say it.

Thud, thud.

I climbed the stairs and opened the door.

Bjorn Jandel’s room, still as cramped as ever.

I was reminded of Lee Han-su’s empty room.

It was time to admit it.

“…”

It’s not that I became weak because I got attached.

It’s not that I became weak because I got attached.

****

The next morning.

Misha, who had said there would be no meal for me tomorrow, woke me up.

She came with a lunch box filled with carrots.

“Chew thoroughly before swallowing. Got it?”

Feeling guilty, I chewed and swallowed everything.

It didn’t take long because I forgot to breathe and kept eating. But Misha was the first to speak up when she saw me rolling my eyes at the end of the meal.

“Nyah, Staying like this isn’t too bad, is it?”

“But…”

“Nyah, What do you mean but? You have no say in this. So, don’t feel pressured. I’m just doing what I want to do.”

This was the conclusion she must have come to after going home and spending the night thinking.

There was no room for me to interfere.

Misha was more adult-like than I was.

Speaking so composedly probably meant she hoped this relationship wouldn’t become more awkward.

Well, this wasn’t exactly what Dwalki had hoped for.

“I understand.”

“Okay, then no more talk about this. Do you understand, Nyah?”

“Agreed.”

With that, this issue was seemingly resolved.

Or so to speak, even though nothing had changed from before.

“Go take a bath. It’s about time to head out.”

After eating, we quickly washed up and went out together. Then, we met up with our companions and headed to the Commelby district.

The atmosphere in the carriage was quite heavy.

“It seems like the first time we’ve all traveled together like this, doesn’t it?”

The dwarf tried to sound cheerful, but strictly speaking, it wasn’t a complete gathering of everyone.

Now, we couldn’t even if we wanted to.

“…Let’s just finish our business and head back.”

Once we arrived at Commelby, things got a bit better.

We repaired and sold equipment. Finally, we stopped by the Central Administration Office to transfer the deed of Dwalki’s house to the dwarf.

It was for a simple reason.

The dwarf wanted to buy it.

“Why are you going to such lengths? I’m sure Dwalki wouldn’t want that.”

“Ha! It’s always been my dream to own a house. And now that I’ve earned some money.

“Alright, let’s not dwell on worries anymore. Just take it and sign.”

An administrative office employee wrote a signature in front of the notary, and with that, Dwalki’s house became the property of the dwarf.

The appraised value of the house, according to the administrative office, was 24 million stones.

However, we heard that selling it at auction would bring in 20% less, so we only took 5 million stones each.

“Then, let’s go back and have a drink.”

After finishing our business, we returned to the residential area and went to a tavern. Then, we did the final settlement.

We divided all the earnings, including magic stones, by four.

There were minor discrepancies due to equipment repair costs and consumables used in the maze…

“25 million stones…”

A substantial sum of money was now in our hands.

The dwarf might have only left with ten million after buying the house.

Oh, and it was agreed that the Dragon Slayer’s Sword and the “Restrained Wish” I used in the maze would be my share.

“Your vampire essence is gone, but you got the ogre’s essence, the treasure is surely worth the trouble. It came about in an attempt to save us, after all.”

“I wouldn’t be so shameless as to covet more. The Dragon Slayer Sword would have been taken back by that bastard if it weren’t for you.”

That was too much for me.

If we were to convert these items into money and split it four ways, we’d go bankrupt several times over.

“Alright, let’s drink then.”

After a few more rounds of drinks, I tentatively brought up the subject.

“It seems about time to talk about the team.”

A spot on our team had become vacant.

However, I wasn’t planning to fill that spot, but rather to announce that Misha and I were leaving the team.

But…

“I have something to tell everyone about that.”

The dwarf was one step ahead of me.

“I’m going to quit being an adventurer.”

“What?”

“Sorry to bring this up at such a time. But after thinking it over all day yesterday, I’ve made my decision. Please try to understand.”

Following the dwarf’s declaration, Rotmiller asked.

“What do you plan to do after quitting?”

“I’ll open a blacksmith shop. That’s why I bought that friend’s house. I felt like if not now, I might never get the chance.”

So that was it. He planned to turn Dwalki’s house into a forge.

“Becoming an explorer was more of an escape from reality. I gave up my dreams because I had no talent, because I needed money for the immediate future.  I don’t want to live with regrets. That would be an insult to my friend.”

No one dared to dissuade him after his firm statement.

We could only wish him well for his future.

“…I hope you achieve your dream.”

“Oh, a blacksmith shop? Becoming a boss now? I’ll definitely visit.”

“If I need anything from a blacksmith, I’ll go to your shop.”

“Yeah, that’s a great idea! Just thinking about it makes me happy! Haha!”

After the dwarf’s departure was settled, Rotmiller took over the conversation.

“Murad, don’t feel too sorry. I was planning to leave the team after this exploration anyway.”

“What? You? Why?”

“I felt I was lacking. That’s all.”

The dwarf couldn’t say anything to Rotmiller’s brief reply.

Maybe Rotmiller had anticipated this reaction?

He continued without any particular reaction.

“Actually, I had already told Bjorn. Never imagined it would end this way, though. Now that I’ve made some money, I plan to take time to develop myself.”

“……I’m sure with your diligence and persistence, you’ll achieve your goals, whatever they may be.”

After the dwarf’s heartfelt words, their gaze turned to Misha and me.

They were curious about what we would do.

I briefly stated our future plans.

“We’re going to form a new team. And we’ll climb even higher.”

“Yeah, I knew you would say that.”

“Misha, you’ll have a hard time.”

“……Well, it’s my karma. There’s not much I can do about it, Nyah.”

We all raised our glasses and toasted.

As Team Halfling, it was our last gathering.

We blessed and supported each other’s futures, sharing memories over drinks as we said our goodbyes.

As always, time ruthlessly moved on, and soon the dwarf and Misha were passed out on the table.

“I guess it’s time to call it a night.”

I smiled wryly at Rotmiller.

It was always the two of us cleaning up at the end of the night.

A fitting end for Team Halfling, I thought, as I stood up.

“Bjorn, there’s something I want to ask you.”

Rotmiller called out to me, his voice uncharacteristically low.

As if he had waited for the two to fall asleep.

“…Go ahead.”

Under a strange sense of pressure, I looked at him, and after a brief pause..

Rotmiller asked me.

“Are you by any chance an evil spirit?”

There was one last challenge left to safely dismantle Team Halfling.